Notes: Because of how this fic has evolved since the start (holy poo on toast has anyone checked out the word count lately? What even is that?), I've had notes stashed on the prompt list on my wall, on a file on my phone, on a few sheets of loose leaf hanging around my desk, and in individual chapters. Like this one. (There's a few things that should have been in the last loop, but because I moved things up a loop I'm now trying to rework them here. One stayed, but Luka experiencing Sass's Disappointed Dad Voice was lost. Y'all my OCD, anal retentive nature is side-eying this fic so hard and wondering why y'all haven't killed me yet. xD I swear this is why I usually wait until the whole thing's done before posting.)

…oh, and uh…to all the mums out there: happy Mothers' Day. From. Y'know. The Valentine's Day fic. xD

Marinette's 29 Valentine's Days

Day Twenty-One, Loop Twenty: Late Night Escape

The next day, it wasn't Marinette's alarm that woke her up.

It was an incoming phone call.

Luka's face grinned at her from the screen. She had to smile back as she answered the call. Tikki hovered anxiously nearby as she sat up.

"Hey," she said, rubbing at her eyes. "Feeling better?"

"…no," he mumbled. There was a pause, and she heard fabric shuffling on the other end. "Yes. Maybe. Sass is here."

…she thanked every kwami she could think of, and more that she knew existed and had never met, for that.

"None of it was a dream, was it?" he asked. Her lips quirked in a small smile.

"How much do you actually remember?" she asked. He groaned – loudly – and she tried not to laugh. "Star?"

"Darning, I'm going to kill myself," he mumbled. "I don't know what I remember. I'm still so tired."

"You're not going to kill yourself," she tutted. A wicked grin curled her lips as she leaned forward, hugging her knees. "You're gonna marry me, remember?"

There was another strangled groan from his end, and she laughed in earnest this time. There was more noise as he told her to hold on, and she heard a quiet conversation with Juleka from his end. She smiled at Tikki and climbed down her bed, moving to her wardrobe to get dressed. A moment later, Luka was back.

"Please don't hold me accountable for anything I said or did while sleep-deprived," he begged, and she started laughing again. "Everything's still kinda hazy, but knowing me I'm sure there's something I need you to forget. Probably even more I need to apologize for."

"Oh, I don't know," she teased lightly, shimmying into her jeans. "Punching Dingo to defend my honor was kinda sweet."

"I punched…holy shit!" he screeched, and she nearly dropped her phone in surprise. "No. No, no, no. He told you…oh my God, Marinette…I am so sor-"

"Relax, Luka," she said, laughing again. She bit her lip, reaching up to twirl a strand of hair with her finger. "It's…he wasn't exactly wrong, not that it was any of his business."

"Not…what?" Luka asked. He sounded so confused. It was adorable.

"Well, I am the only one who should be blowing you, right? Not M. Belcourt," she said innocently. She was grateful they were on the phone and not in person or a vidcall. She was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to say any of this to his face, at least not yet. Her own was burning hot enough as it was. Luka sounded like he was choking on the other end.

"M-Mari…Marinette…" he coughed. "What…what the fuck…"

Her face burned hotter. Her grin turned more sinister.

"Oh, Luka…" she said, her voice low and practically a purr. "You are so hot when you cuss."

There was a muffled fumble, as if he had dropped his phone on his bed, and a heavier thwump, and when her mom knocked and came through her door Marinette was doubled over laughing.

"Well, good to see you're up," Sabine said, eyebrows lifting in amusement. Marinette bit her lip and wiped at her eyes, smiling at her mom. Sabine's smile warmed at the look on her face. "Luka, I take it?"

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "He's…ah…he was going to take me to school today, but he's not feeling good. He's going to stay home and maybe meet up with me after, if he's feeling up to it?"

It was said into the phone, as much of a question for Luka as it was an answer for her mom. She heard Luka groan out a grumbled response. Sabine frowned and nodded.

"I see…that's such a shame, after…everything," Sabine said, gesturing to the valentine on Marinette's desk. She winked, and Marinette tried not to roll her eyes. She knew her mom was just trying to avoid saying anything Luka might overhear, which was kind of her. Not that it really mattered anyway – but it wasn't like her mom actually knew that. "I hope he feels better. I just wanted to make sure you were up. It was supposed to be a big day."

"Thanks, Maman," she said. It still could be, she supposed. Or maybe it still had been. A very, very, very Big Day. It had certainly been long enough. "I'll be down soon."

Sabine hummed and disappeared back downstairs. Marinette smiled, turning her attention back to her phone.

"Luka?" she called. "Does that sound like a plan?"

"Masssssster is busy trying to sssssssuffocate himsssself with his pillow," Sass said from the other end. Marinette choked on a laugh. "I ssssshall relay the messssssage."

"Thank you, Sass," Marinette said. "Tell him to meet me at the café after school, if he's feeling up for it. And to stay transformed as long as he can in case the reset comes early."

"His sssssssissssster has already left for ssssschool," Sass said. "When he ssssstopssss trying to kill himssssself we can transssssform. I sssshall let him know."

"Thank you," she said again. She bit her lip and picked at a stray thread from her sleep top. "And Sass? I'm…I'm sorry. About everything. You were right. We should have come to you first thing."

"No, Misssstresss," the kwami sighed. "I was upsssset. You were right. You are an admirable Guardian. Better than we've had in yearssssss."

"Thanks, Sass," she said with a smile. "I'll see you guys later, ok?"

He hummed before disconnecting the call. Marinette sighed and looked up at her own kwami.

"All right, Tikki," she said. "Let's get this day over with."

– V –

The school day seemed to drag longer than usual. It was made even worse by the quivery looks Rose kept sending her, like she was about to burst into tears at any moment. Even though Marinette had assured her she was fine and Luka was fine and they were still going to meet up later, if he felt better. Rose had still taken Luka's absence like a personal affront to Valentine's Day, swearing she'd make sure he made next year's better. (Marinette just groaned and begged her to let them forget Valentine's was even a thing next year. Rose ignored her, though whether that was because she was already so lost in next year's plans or because Rose was being kind and not turning her Romantic Ire on her Marinette wasn't sure. Juleka patted her back and welcomed her to the family with a snicker.)

It felt like an eternity had passed between her morning phone call with Luka and the time she reached the café. It also felt like an eternity since she had actually been there, she thought as she pulled out her phone. She'd been running into Hannah all over the city, and she couldn't help but wonder if heading back to where everything had started was really such a great idea. Still, this was where she had told Luka to meet her. She waited just outside the door as she pulled up his text chain. He hadn't answered any of her messages that day. She hoped that was because he'd been sleeping.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts, her face turned towards her phone, that she didn't notice him walk up behind her. She squeaked when his arms wrapped around her middle and his chin rested on her shoulder. He kissed her cheek before she could turn her head, and once she was looking at him he kissed her properly. Her lips quirked at the hissing snickers and soft giggles she heard coming from his hood and her purse.

"Hey, beautiful," he sighed against her lips before he pulled away. She wasn't sure when she had reached up and tangled her hand in his hair, but he smiled when she scratched at the back of his head.

"Feeling better?" she asked. He dropped a kiss against her neck, and she felt her cheeks warm.

"Worlds," he said, resting his chin back on her shoulder. His lips quirked up in a smirk. "I don't think I could sleep any more even if I wanted to, and Sass dealt with most of the artron energy during the reset."

"We've disssscussssed thissss, Massster Luka," Sass huffed, just barely peeking out from his hood. "Artron energy does not exissssst."

Marinette's eyebrows rose.

"Artron energy?" she parroted. His smirk widened.

"It's a Doctor Who thing. Dingo's a fan," he said. "Nerd way of saying Sass gave me time cancer."

"It'ssss not time canccccer," Sass hissed indignantly, flicking Luka's ear with his tail. Luka pressed his mouth against Marinette's shoulder to hide his smile. "You have born a Miraculoussss connected to time. You are time-ssssenssssitive now. It made you more ssssussssceptible to the akuma's influenccccce."

"…so I gave him time cancer by choosing him for the Miraculous," Marinette said. Luka squeezed her middle and kissed her neck again, nudging the underside of her jaw with his nose. Her stomach was fluttering, but she wasn't sure if it was the guilt or Luka's open affections.

"No, darning, I told you. It's not your fault," he said. "Sass is the…how'd you put it? Oh, it was so good, too…"

"…tiny, all-knowing, mysssstical asssssshole," Sass grumped, snuggling deeper into the hoodie in a pout. She felt Luka shaking in an effort not to laugh, and her face was burning again. "You humans and your prejudicccces. Why are sssssnakessss always the bad guys?"

"We love you, lil' buddy," Luka chuckled, reaching up to scratch his head. He turned back to Marinette and…her heart skipped a beat at the look he gave her. She refused to call it a smolder (it totally was), but oh if it didn't make her knees go weak. He put his arm back with the other around her waist, holding her tighter against him. "Hey. You said I could love you after I slept."

"…o-oh, did I?" she asked. She tried to sound nonchalant, but she was pretty sure – between the stutter and the blush – she had failed miserably. The octave his voice had dropped was downright sinful, and ignoring the way it made her head spin was impossible. He leaned up and kissed her on the corner of her mouth, and she swallowed thickly. She felt his lips curl against her skin.

"I slept," he murmured, peppering more kisses along her jaw. "Can we maybe grab something warm to drink, find a quiet place, and let me love you now?"

"Th…that…you…oh my God," she groaned, falling back against him and slapping her hands over her face. He laughed – a big, full laugh that warmed her heart – and held her closer, nuzzling his face against her shoulder. "How do you do that? Why did you have to remember that?"

"A little payback only seemed fair after this morning," he teased. She groaned. Sass was laughing again, the little shit. She was pretty sure she heard Tikki laughing, too. Traitors, the both of them. Luka nudged her, and she peeked out from behind her hands to find him smiling at her. "Hey. I meant it, though. I know this day hasn't gone how you planned, and I'm still kind hazy on a lot of what's actually happened, but I want to make sure you know that. If nothing else. I love you, Marinette."

She turned in his arms, grabbed his face, and pulled him down so she could kiss him. He tightened his hold on her, one hand rising up to cradle the back of her head, and suddenly Marinette wasn't all that opposed to finding somewhere quiet with him. She thought she might even enjoy staying right there and kissing him senseless, if he hadn't already been pulling away.

"I love you," she sighed, leaning up for one final, quick kiss. And maybe it wasn't some big, grand, romantic gesture of a confession. Maybe it was just three words, breathed against kiss-bruised lips on a quiet sidewalk. Maybe that was all it needed to be, in the end. She stepped away and reached for his hand, squeezing gently. "I like that idea, actually. I haven't seen Hannah or Geoff yet, and they're usually here by now. The café's still pretty packed, so…we could maybe get our order to go and head up to the roof? Keep a lookout from there?"

"Sounds perfect," he said. "Maybe you could help me fill in some of the fuzzier moments?"

She caught Sass's glowing eyes from his hood, and in that split second she found her courage from that morning. She stepped closer and tugged on one of his hood ties.

"I don't know…" she sighed, playing with the string. His eyebrows rose, and she was pleased to see his cheeks were a faint pink when she glanced up. "Do you really want to know about the day we spent in your bed? Or how handsy you were with my ass yesterday? Oh, sorry – my swearing is a little too hot for you, right?"

His face skipped pink and went straight to a red that rivaled her super suit. His face was practically glowing.

"I…I…what?" he squawked, and she laughed as she turned back towards the café. She grabbed his hand and tugged him after her, his jaw still working inaudibly and his face burning.

"C'mon, you time-sensitive goof," she laughed, pulling him inside. "You get me a hot tea, and I'll try not to spill it on your lap this time."

"…oh my God," he groaned, rubbing at his face. He visibly shuddered, and she wondered if he actually remembered that afternoon. "That…can I go back to thinking this day has just been one long, seriously fucked-up dream?"

"Oh, come on," she laughed, looping her arm around his elbow and leaning her head against his side. She grinned up at him. "It hasn't all been bad."

"…no," he sighed, bending down to kiss her. Just because he could. "I suppose it hasn't."

– V –

For as busy as the café was, they were in and out quick enough. Luka kept her tucked against his side, his arm draped across her shoulders with his thumb rubbing absent patterns against the fabric of her coat. Marinette couldn't figure out if it was just a natural progression in their relationship (they had always been fairly tactile with each other, so when he had stepped up beside her in line and immediately pulled her closer it didn't seem that odd) or if there was something more to it. A deeper stress brought on by so many days of bad dreams, of watching her disappear time after time in a flash of light. There was a tenseness in his posture she wasn't used to, but when she reached up to lay her hand over his own and wrapped the arm between them around his hips, he seemed to relax a little. As if her presence was enough to ground and comfort him, and she took comfort in that.

The entire time they were inside, the tables by the restrooms stayed empty. Hannah and Geoff were nowhere to be found, and it was getting…late. Later than Marinette had ever made it before, at least. She didn't know where they were. Where they would have gone after the café, if not the café. When she made it back outside with Luka and their suspects still hadn't appeared, she tried to tell herself she wasn't worried. Maybe this was a good. Maybe they'd make it to tomorrow after all.

"Still wanna go up to the roof?" Luka asked, glancing up. Some of the tables outside were empty, but the roof did sound perfect. It'd be easier to transform and keep a lookout from up there. Plus, it was…quiet. Quieter than the public tables, at least. Getting up there with two hot drinks was another matter entirely, but they managed.

"One good thing about super suits," Ladybug teased as she let go of Viperion's side and took her tea from him. She waved the cup in front of him with a wink. "Magical protection includes water resistance. Harder to burn someone with a spilled drink."

He winced at that, but he was still smiling.

"I was actually kind of glad you didn't remember that day," she said after a moment. "Or at least that I thought you hadn't. At the time. It was such a disaster. I'm so sorry about that."

"I wasn't upset about the drink," he said once she had stopped rambling. She raised an eyebrow, and he shrugged. He sat down against the ledge and patted the empty space beside him. As soon as she had sat down, he wrapped his arm back around her shoulders and held her close. He sipped his coffee, thinking over his words. "I mean…yeah, nobody likes getting hot tea dumped on them, especially there, but…I was more upset you left."

"I was mortified," she groaned, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"It was an accident," he said. He grinned and dropped a kiss against her head. "That's kind of standard for you."

"Viperion!" she groaned.

"Ladybug!" he mimicked. She settled against him with a pout, and he chuckled before he placed a finger under her chin and turned her head towards him. She stuck her tongue out at him, but as soon as it was back in her mouth he was chasing it. She nearly spilled her tea again when he leaned into the kiss, pressing her back against the ledge, but he plucked it from her hand and placed it beside them. She was fine with that, anyway: it let her lay that hand against his back, sliding along his suit until her fingers could curl in his hair.

She wasn't sure how long they sat there, lost to the world in a haze of lazy (and not-so-lazy) kisses, but eventually she had to pull away. Eventually she had to remind him they were supposed to keeping a lookout, and eventually the kisses were abandoned in favor of conversation. He told her what he remembered, or thought he remembered, and she filled him in on everything he'd missed. The days she remembered, and snippets from the ones she didn't, at least not fully. Fumbled confessions, days that had been almost perfect and then erased, fights she wished they'd never had, and lazy makeouts that had made up for it all. How much she loved his singing for her – and yes, how he had called in a favor from his estranged (or just strange) father. How she had loved him punching Dingo for her, but how she had also been more than capable of defending herself ("You did not dump his lunch on his hair…oh my God, I can't believe I missed that!"). How sorry she was she hadn't realized what was happening sooner. How she would go back, if she knew how, and get his Miraculous the very first morning. How guilty she still felt, despite his assurances, that she had let him get so sick in the first place.

They were both surprised, the more she told him, how much he actually did remember. It had all been there, just under the surface, but he had honestly thought it was a dream. There had been times he'd get strange moments of déjà vu that had made him wonder, but in the end he agreed with her: he hadn't had the Snake Miraculous in months. He hadn't thought any potential akuma would have been able to affect him like that, either. In the end, he was just glad she was safe and that he'd be able to help her now.

Neither knew how long that would last, though. They both knew the dangers that came with Viperion being on the front lines again. Ladybug – Marinette – knew, as Guardian, the rules they were breaking just because he knew her identity. But that was a battle they would fight later, after they had dealt with the current akuma. It was also a battle she was determined they'd fight together.

Before either had fully realized how much time had passed, the sun was going down. The city was getting dark. Ladybug was sure, if they hadn't been transformed, their phones would be filled with anxious messages from their friends (and possibly her parents). And still there was no sign of Hannah or Geoff.

"Where are they?" she sighed, uncurling herself from his side. He glanced back at the sidewalk as she stood and stretched, but it was relatively clear – which wasn't surprising. It was the middle of February, after all. "They've never been this late before."

"But you said there've been days they don't come here," he pointed out, standing as well. She shook her head, her hands landing on her hips.

"I've never seen the night before," she said softly. He stepped up behind her, his arms finding their way around her waist as he leaned his head on her shoulder. She smiled, taking the moment to lean back and enjoy the feeling of him against her. "I don't understand what's happened. I still don't know what the akuma wants, but even if she got it today there's no way Hawkmoth would let us make it to tomorrow without sending the akuma after my earrings."

"You said it's Hannah, right?" Viperion asked. She shrugged.

"I thought so at first, but I'm not sure anymore," she said. "Hannah said the akuma finds her every morning. She's involved somehow – her and Geoff both – but I'm not sure how. I don't know why their getting together is so important to the akuma."

"…maybe it's Rose," he said with a snort. Ladybug choked, clamping a hand over her mouth to stifle her laugh. He grinned and kissed her cheek. "She followed us to make sure neither messed up her plans, but when she saw Hannah's confession going south she got so upset at the prospect of a ruined Valentine's Day Hawkmoth got her. We're stuck in the loop until every single confession in Paris goes perfectly. No, wait – in the world. It's Rose. Go big or go home."

"You're awful," she laughed, leaning her head back against his shoulder. He grinned and leaned in to nip at her neck, making her jump. She turned her head towards him, and he stole a quick kiss. "That's your future sister-in-law you're talking about. You should be nicer."

"Do you remember Valentine's Eve?" he asked. She nodded. "After your group call ended, she sat me down and gave me an hour-long lecture on why today would be the perfect day to confess, how I wasn't allowed to mess it up, and if I did she'd make sure my life would be hell until I made it right."

"She did not," Ladybug laughed. He grinned, his eyebrows lifting.

"My sister already viciously attacked me with office supplies when she thought I'd made plans with someone else. Rose would definitely do worse. How do you know she didn't attack after she hung up?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"One, because she promised she wouldn't tell you what I was definitely not planning," she said, "and two…no way a lecture on romance from Rose would only last one hour."

He pressed his face against her shoulder, his entire body shaking with his laughter. She rolled her eyes and nudged him, but it was a few moments before he could compose himself. When he finally raised his head, she leaned up and kissed him.

"I was the one with the plan, anyway," she said. She paused and frowned. No, that wasn't right. She had specifically not called it a plan. It was a… "…not-plan. Anyway, Rose knew, but she wasn't exactly part of it. Beyond moral support."

"Rose knew you were planning on confessing," he said, "and she knew I was planning on confessing."

"You what?" she asked, turning towards him. He smiled and kissed her. "But…you said Valentine's Day confessions were dumb!"

"I didn't say they were dumb," he said. "I said you'd have to be really brave to confess to someone – any day, not just Valentine's – if you weren't certain they liked you back."

"But –"

"And I've had a pretty good feeling you liked me back for a while now," he said softly, leaning his forehead against her own. "I was just waiting for your go-ahead. Which you gave me. So, yes, Rose knew I was planning on confessing to you today. So, whether or not we realized it, I promise we ended up in her plans somehow."

"…ok, maybe the akuma is Rose," she said, shaking her head and making him laugh. He kissed her one more time before he pulled away. She raised an eyebrow when he held out his hand and wiggled his fingers. "Viperion?"

"I don't think they're coming, Ladybug," he said. He nodded towards the rest of the city. "So why don't we go try to find them?"

"I have no idea where they could be," she said, taking his hand.

"You know where Hannah lives," he said. "That's a start. Besides, we might just find them running around. Or the akuma might find us. Either way, it's better than just sitting here, right?"

"Are you saying you don't like sitting on rooftops for hours with me?" she teased. He chuckled and pulled her close, bending to kiss her again.

"I love doing anything for hours with you," he said, his voice low. She smirked.

"…anything?" she purred back. He chuckled, rubbing his nose against hers.

"You're going to be the death of me," he said. "I hope you know that."

She smiled and pecked at his lips before stepping back. She pulled her yoyo from her hip and nodded towards the city.

"C'mon," she said. "I'm told snakes and bugs don't do well in the cold. A run is just the thing to warm us up."

"I know it was my idea," he said as she backed up to take a running leap towards the next roof, "but I can think of better ways to warm up!"

Her laughter rang through the night air, and he gave her barely a second's head start before he was running after her. They cut an ambling circuit around the city, keeping their eyes peeled for anything suspicious below, but everything was quiet. Low, romantic music floated up from various restaurants and cafés. Couples strolled along the streets like nothing was amiss. Fairy lights twinkled from trees and awnings. It was a perfect, romantic, Valentine's night in Paris – except for the fact that, somewhere, an akuma was lurking. And it wasn't supposed to be Valentine's night while that akuma was out there.

The moon was high above them by the time Ladybug brought them to the roof of the flower shop across from Hannah's flat. The lights in the windows cast a warm, welcoming glow into the cold winter night, but even here everything was quiet. Peaceful.

"I don't understand," Ladybug muttered as Viperion came to a stop beside her. She hugged herself, rubbing her hands along her arms to warm up. Viperion pulled her back against his chest, offering what heat he could provide. "It's almost midnight. Where are they? What happened? What's different?"

"I don't know," he said, "but…maybe this is a good thing? Maybe it means you won?"

"It's never that easy," she huffed. "I'm missing something. She should be…"

"Ladybug, look," he interrupted, pointing to a spot in the distance. Ladybug's eyes widened at the glow rising over the buildings. She groaned and dropped her head back against Viperion's shoulder. "We'll get her tomorrow."

"Meet me in the morning," she said, closing her eyes as the light rushed towards them. "We'll come here. Follow Hannah all day if we have to. I'm ending this tomorrow."

He chuckled, but before he could say anything else the light hit them.